Victoria seeks assurance no school worse off before signing onto Gonski education reforms

Updated
Mon 17 Jun 2013, 11:43 AM AEST

The Victorian Government says it will agree to the Federal Government's Gonski school funding plan if it is satisfied no Victorian school will be worse off.

Yesterday the State Government released a list of 249 schools it says will lose money under the reforms.

But the Federal Government released a school-by-school breakdown, showing all state schools would receive an increase in funding over six years.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday said some Victorian students were up to three years behind in literacy and mathematics.

Victoria's Education Minister, Martin Dixon, says the state's modelling was based on figures previously released by the Commonwealth, which showed some government schools would be disadvantaged under Gonski.

But he says Victoria is still considering whether to sign up to the reforms.

"Two-hundred-and-forty-nine government schools would be worse off if we just stuck with the current funding model," he said.

"The new figures that the Commonwealth brought out yesterday ... we hadn't seen before ... we're working through those now to see whether they stack up.

"I could say 50-50 today and it might be something completely different when we get more information, but our door is open and I wouldn't rule it in and I wouldn't rule it out at this stage."

So far New South Wales, the ACT and South Australia have agreed to the plan.

Garrett says reforms misrepresented

Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett says the reforms are being misrepresented and he is hopeful Victoria will sign up by the June 30 deadline.

"We've released these figures because we've had misrepresentation of the new funding model from both the Premier and from Minister Dixon," he said.

"They're making claims that schools will be worse off. The figures that we've released today show that that's not true."

"This is very heartening to hear that he's going to put the interests of Victorian school children ahead of partisan political interests," he said.

"We've seen a conservative government - the New South Wales Government - sign up to the national school funding reform. It's long overdue. I'm calling on the Victorian Government to get on with it quick smart."